The XVIIth International Congress of Genetics will be held at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, United Kingdom, August 15- 21, 1993. The theme of the Congress will be "Genetics and the Understanding of Life". Papers will be presented on the structure, behavior, evolution, pathology and engineering of genomes at all levels of biological and phylogenetic organization. There will also be sessions on historical, philosophical and social aspects of genetics. The program will be organized into 40 symposia with workshops and poster sessions. In addition, a series of 10 plenary lectures will be given which will represent a collection of talks by some of the foremost geneticists of our time. The Congress, the first in five years, will provide a unique setting for the synthesis of general concepts arrived at in a broad set of diverse organisms and systems. It will also provide very specialized workshops on focused topics, again allowing for stimulating cross fertilization of ideas on approaches and techniques. The primary purpose of U.S. participation is to enhance American genetics by the exchange of information that will take place. It should be noted that success of the Congress will depend significantly upon American participation because of the predominant position of American scientists in the field of Genetics. The Genetics Society of America is requesting partial support for travel and living expenses for 150 American scientists and students to participate in the XVIIth International Congress of Genetics in total; this grant application asks for support for 50 scientists and students or one third of the total requests.